


Brothers and Baked Goods

by Aethernight



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bakery, Fluff, Four's Hyrule, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22319899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aethernight/pseuds/Aethernight
Summary: The Links take a sweet break in Four's Hyrule. Fluffy brothers and family fun bonding times.Yeah, I wrote this because I needed Four fluff also the fact that there's a bakery in Minish Cap was VERY important to me so here's this sugary fluff I whipped up. First time doing summaries oof.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 195





	Brothers and Baked Goods

Four pulled the others through his Hyrule Town as fast as he could. Or tried to pull them, as both Wild and Hyrule outmatched the hero in strength and size but the younger didn’t seem to notice. The others followed quickly behind as best they could, but the men were getting tired of bolting through every new Hyrule Town. Four finally stopped in front of a quaint little shop that had a basket of bread loaves on its roof. The small hero grinned as he spread his arms in a wide arc. 

“Behold! Hyrule Town’s best bakery! Wheaton and Pita are gonna be thrilled to have so many customers!” 

Four’s dark, walnut-colored eyes glimmered with a red tint as he spoke. The others had gotten used to his frequent eye color changes over their travels, though they still didn’t know why those orbs changed their hues. 

Warriors raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Did you just drag us through Hyrule to get some bread,” he asked with arms crossed. The others snickered and started muttering jokes to themselves. 

Wild giggled “let’s grab the grain!” and the whole group burst out laughing, Four included. Warriors grumbled as Hyrule chuckled, “let’s snag the sourdough!” Wind doubled over in fits of laughter and yelled that bread memes were the best. Time agreed with the sailor, though how the old man knew about memes was questionable. 

“So are we gonna yeet the yeast or are we just soliciting out here?” Legend asked as the multi-colored hero running inside the shop. Twilight shrugged and ushered everyone in. 

“There’s yer answer. Now let’s git goin’! I’m so hungry I could eat the north end o’ a south-bound goat!” Legend decided not to question the farmer’s words and followed inside. 

The interior had a cobalt blue rug and wooden shelves of baking supplies. The sweet aroma of baked goods wafted through the air. It was a nice change of scent compared to the blood of monsters, dirt of the damp earth, and sweat that often poured off the boys on tough and hot days. Sky and Wind leaned over the counter of pastries, debating which ones looked best. Wild ran his eyes over the ingredients, wondering if there was anything new he could use in his own baking. 

Four waved to the couple working in the back. “Pita! Wheaton! How are you doing?” The couple started at the voice of the young man but quickly composed themselves. The woman ran up and greeted Four. “Oh, Link! It’s been far too long since you’ve stopped by! I guess traveling the world and blacksmithing keeps you busy!” 

Four nodded and signaled to the assembled group behind him. “Yeah, and I’ve been with this bunch for what feels like months now. But I’m glad to be back home. Hey, you got anything good to eat?”

Pita nodded her head and tapped the countertop covered with desserts. “We’ve been busy trying to create new recipes. Ain’t that right, Wheaton?” From the kitchen, her husband nodded before continuing his work. Pita asked if any of the boys were hungry. A chorus of “yeses” chimed from the crowd and the woman smiled. 

One by one, Pita pointed out each treat on the table. “Our brioche bun is a filling bargain, the croissant is flaky and buttery, our pie is absolutely snacktactular, and the cake is always moist and filled with cream! And our new treat is puff pastries with cream cheese! So what’ll it be, boys?” 

The whole group was quiet for a minute before Wild slammed a pile of rupees onto the table. “I’ll take one of everything,” he answered with complete seriousness. 

The silence continued before Pita burst out laughing. It didn’t take long for everyone else to join in, even Wheaton chuckled from the kitchen. Wild looked confused why everyone was laughing so he shrugged it off and grabbed the treats. 

Time walked over and patted the long-haired teen on the back. “That’s our cook for you! Wild will eat anything remotely edible, no matter the cost.” 

Twilight nodded to his mentor and referenced the time Wild recreated Hyrule’s soup, only this time it tasted safe to eat. Hyrule glared at the older hero with a pout. “Are you saying my cooking skills need work?” 

Legend ruffled the younger’s hair and replied, “we will neither confirm nor deny.” That made the group laugh even harder until Four waved his hands to get them to calm down. He turned back to Pita and fished out his money bag. 

“I think we need a break after all our adventuring so I figured this would be a good spot to grab a bite. I’ll take one of your cake slices. Oh, and by the way guys, this one’s not on me. Use your own rupees!” 

The group groaned in response and pulled out their wallets. Warriors still looked a bit put off from everyone laughing at him but placed his money on the counter. “I’ll take one of those croissants.” Hyrule raised an eyebrow at the other hero. “You mean a quackson?”

The two had a staring contest before arguing over the pronunciation of the baked good. The others ignored the two, which had become the go-to when Warriors or Legend started fighting with someone. 

One by one the heroes bought their own treat. Time got the brioche bread and Pita gave him some honey butter, which made the dough even better. Twilight and Wind each got a slice of pie, but the farmer’s was apple and the sailor’s was cherry. Sky loved his cake slice and thanked the bakers multiple times for it. Legend tried the puff pastries and liked them so much a bought another batch. 

The couple was thrilled with all the business and waved the boys goodbye as they left. “Four, that was a great idea to come here! This is so good!” Four grinned at Sky in response. “Thanks! This place had the best goods in town and since we were so close I figured it would be fun to stop by.”

The group talked amongst themselves as they walked to Four’s house. They stopped suddenly when Wind started hacking and grabbed his throat. Twilight and Time rushed over to see if he was okay. The young pirate couldn’t respond through the coughing fit. 

Legend wheeled on Four and demanded to know what was in that pie. Four shook his head and said it was okay, which made the others panic more. Before they could respond Wind’s fit died down and he held something in his hand. “Guys, there was a prize in my food!”

The group gathered around and looked at a little blue object. It was shaped like a half-circle and no bigger than Wind’s pinkie finger, colored dark blue with a clover design on it. 

“What’s that? An’ why’s it in that there pie?” The group passed the item around while Four answered Twilight’s questions. 

“That’s a kinstone. In my Hyrule, they’re symbols of happiness but they were important on one of my adventures. Sometimes you can find them in sweets from the bakery, but I guess since none of you knew that you didn’t think to eat carefully.”

“Alright, but who would bake things that can choke you into food?” Hyrule wrinkled his brow in thought. Legend mentioned that he heard stories of people who baked stuff into cakes for holidays but then whoever found the thing had to buy the cake for next year. 

“So instead of getting rewarded for finding the thing you have to do more work? What a rip off!” Wild frowned at the idea but Time pointed out that most of their errands for people were like that. The whole group hummed in agreement. 

Wind took back the stone and asked, “so why’s it broken,” as he ran his finger over the edge. Four grinned and pulled off something from his belt. The heroes looked closer and saw that he had an entire string of kinstones with him. “When you find someone who has the other half of a kinstone, it leads to something good! I’ve gotten rupees and heart pieces from them before.”

“Four, that’s really cool! It’s like a little treasure hunt!” Sky loved the purpose of the little stones since everyone could use them. Four agreed that they’re pretty neat. 

With that, the boys continued on their way to Four’s house. As they ate they found more kinstones. Wild found two; one in his bread and one in the cake. Wind cheered as his matched Wild’s stone from the cake, and they got 50 rupees once the stones fused together. The boys agreed to split the reward evenly. Warriors found one in his croissant that matched with the green one in Legend’s puff pastries, much to the displeasure of both boys. They only 25 rupees but Warriors managed to get one more than Legend after splitting up the money. Time also found a kinstone, but his was the only red one. Hyrule eyed the stone and asked Four if there was a difference between the objects. 

Four nodded and proceeded to explain that the green stones are the most common, blue kinstones are more uncommon, red ones are super rare, and gold ones are almost impossible to find. 

“Though I found all ten of them, not to brag or anything.” His eyes turned violet as he explained the variations and then to green as he listed all the ones he’d found. The heroes listened as he prattled on and on. They may not share his enthusiasm, but they would never interrupt a moment of happiness. 

The sun was setting by the time they reached a small neighborhood Four said his house was in. The small hero pointed to a trail of smoke coming from a house atop a hill. “That’s my place. Whenever there’s smoke coming out that means Grandpa is home!” 

Four raced ahead and the others followed quickly behind. They stopped when the reached his house and surveyed the cottage. It was surrounded by a wooden fence, with a large tree and pile of chopped wood in one corner and a small garden in the other. From the outside, the house looked sturdy but also cozy. The front door was lime green and the walls were grey cobblestone, and the chimney was made of the same materials. There were four windows on the second floor and the roof was covered in straw. 

Four knocked twice and took a step back. A faint shuffling sound was heard from the inside followed by a knob turning. An old man with a long beard and mustache appeared. His clothes were covered with soot and his hair was pulled back in a green bandana. 

He smiled when he saw Four and opened his arms for a hug. “Link, good to see you back! Now c’mere and give your Grandfather a hug.” Four laughed and did just that, not caring about the soot getting on his own clothes. 

“Hey, Grandpa! How are you doing? Are you still taking your medicine with a cup of hot tea every day? I swear, if you forgot to put your feet up an hour after working again you’ll lose your smithing privileges!” 

The old man laughed Four’s concern and patted him on the head. “I know how to take care of myself when you’re not here, but I appreciate the concern. Now could you introduce me to your friends?” 

Four huffed but turned to the group. He introduced everyone from tallest to shortest, and each hero waved to the elder blacksmith when called. “Guys, this is Grandpa Smith. He taught me everything I know about smithing. Grandpa, could we stay on the second floor tonight?”

Smith nodded and beckoned the boys inside. The main room was organized, with a dining table and a tiny kitchen on one side. Four pointed to a door on the right that led to the forge. “Anyone wanna see where we work?” Everyone nodded so Four led them in. 

The whole room was neat and orderly. The anvil had buckets of water next to it, all the tools were on the wall next to piles of wood and storage bins, and the fire from the hearth was slowly dying down. A half-finished sword lay on the anvil, its blade still red hot. 

Four started explaining the process he and Granda Smith have to the group. They listened silently as he went on until Legend interrupted. “So it’s just the two of you who smith for the whole village? You both should take on an apprentice.” 

Four paused and spun around to face the older hero. “And what do you know about smithing or apprenticeship?” His eyes gleamed a steely blue as he scowled at the other. Legend huffed out a breathy laugh and grabbed one of the tools. 

“More than you think. I’m currently the apprentice for the smith in my own town. So give me some credit. Though I s’pose if your old man needs help while we’re here I could pitch in. See how the craft has changed over the years.”

Four’s jaw dropped at the announcement, though his wasn’t the only one hitting the floor. About everyone was surprised at Legend’s confession. Though with the amount of experience under his belt, it shouldn’t have fazed the boys. 

Four’s eyes flashed different colors within the span of a few seconds before he agreed that Smith could probably use the help. As if he heard his name, the senior smith walked into the room. 

“You lot must be tired. Why don’t I make you some dinner before you tucker out? Sleep is important to rest tired muscles!” Four mentioned that he was always telling Grandpa that, but the elder just laughed. 

One by one they shuffled out of the room and went upstairs. The second floor had two beds, both with blue sheets but one had an extra quilt and pillows while the other had two plush animals. There were storage bins and a table with chairs in the corner. Four looked around and nodded his head, appearing to have a conversation with himself. 

“I think we should all be able to fit up here. I know Grandpa has an extra bed he used to use stored away, so that should work. And if we pile bedrolls, blankets, and pillows onto the table we can use that too. Can I get some help?”

Four and Sky lifted the chairs out of the way while Twilight and Hyrule moved the table. The others got out their sleeping supplies and laid them out on the tabletop. While the boys were busy organizing things, Time took the opportunity to slip back downstairs. He saw Grandpa Smith pulling out ingredients before mixing flour into a bowl. The armor-clad hero cleared his throat before speaking. 

“You and Fo- uh, Link -have a nice system here. With the forge and all. You must be busy all the time.” The grandpa nodded and explained that the whole village relied on them, but lately more requests came for Four than for him. 

“I don’t mind. The little scamp has a level of skill bigger than his muscles! Ha! He’s always nagging at me to look after myself so I jest in return. But I know he has my best intentions in mind.”

The old man turned around and put a hand on Time’s shoulder. Time looked from the appendage to Smith’s face. His expression was serious but his eyes held a kind spark. 

“I can tell you’ve been looking after my grandson and the other boys. I don’t know what adventures you’ve been on, but thank you for keeping him safe. He’s been the best kid I’ve ever known, and Link is like a son to me. And I know he’s been through a lot, much more than anyone should ever have to go through. He has a good heart, even though he can be emotionally unstable, secretive, and closed-off at times. Please, keep looking after Link for me.” 

Grandpa Smith’s voice shook a few times as he spoke. Time removed the man’s hand from his shoulder and gave it a firm shake. “I would never let anything happen to any of those boys. I will protect your grandson with my life. I promise.” 

The smith smiled and replied “thank you,” to Time, who smiled in return. The hero was called back upstairs by Wind, who excused himself and promptly went up. He saw Warriors giving Legend the evil eye while he shouted about something Time couldn’t make out. The snarky hero just rolled his eyes and walked right up to the captain’s face. 

“Let’s take this toast.”

The whole upstairs hollered at Warrior’s angered expression. Time was beyond confused about what he was witnessing. The oldest hero tapped Twilight on the shoulder for an explanation of what was going on. The farmhand wiped away a tear, an honest-to-Hylia tear, and told Time that Warriors apparently hated bread puns for some reason. So they were taking turns getting him riled up just for the fun of it.

Time frowned and walked to the middle of the room. “Now, young men, it’s not nice to make fun of Warriors…” The boys hung their heads down as their leader trailed off. But a devious smirk crossed Time’s face and he clapped his hands, making everyone jump. “...without telling me about it!!”

Warriors gaped at Time like a Zora out of water while everyone else screeched from laughter. Time joined in and slapped Warriors on the shoulder. Then he leaned over to his ear and whispered, “let’s bag this baguette.”

At that Warriors pushed the older hero away and yelled something about how bread jokes made his mouth feel weird, but everyone ignored him. Through the laughter, Time looked and saw Four sitting on the bed with the two toys on it. He held his knees as he laughed and Wild had to keep him from falling over. The smithy opened his eyes and locked onto Time. After a moment Four smiled in return, so wide his eyes closed again. 

Time knew that this life of Four’s was full of peace, love, but also a future. The knowledge that one of them had a home to come to at the end of his journey was something Time hoped all the boys would be able to find. He was overjoyed that the small hero had already found that. Today was the happiest the boy had been in a while. And Four had shared that happiness with everyone. 

Time knew that Four was one lucky kid. And he was so proud of all that he had accomplished. He sat down and rested his head on his fist in thought. Yeah, Grandpa Smith had one incredible grandson.

**Author's Note:**

> WOO I’M SO HAPPY WITH THIS FIC! 
> 
> This literally came from the knowledge that there’s a bakery in Minish Cap and I just HAD to write about it. Plus I read some Four angst and I needed fluff to combat it. 
> 
> Bless my class where we do assistant work so I wrote a majority of this with my free time there. 
> 
> Most of this was written while listening to the Linked Universe playlists by amajiki_sun on Spotify and they are SO GOOD!!
> 
> I saw an opportunity for angst at the end but I was like NO YOU ARE ENDING THIS ON FLUFF to myself. Those feels urges are always there. 
> 
> Also, I was kinda mean to Warriors in this but I’ll make it up to him later. And you can pry prankster/jokester/trickster Time out of my cold hands. 
> 
> I have like 4 other LU fics in the process and this isn’t the first one I’ve finished but I’m happier with this one than the other. Both of them ended up going to Time POV and I like, didn’t plan that? It just keeps happening? Eh, there’s not enough soft Time so that’s fine by me. 
> 
> Until next time, dear readers! Thanks for checking out my work! To anyone and everyone, I think that you’re beautiful both on the inside AND outside! You are worth it and have so much potential! Go out and HYAH it up!


End file.
